


All The Little Things

by WaterbearCosmonaut



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 10:17:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3245963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaterbearCosmonaut/pseuds/WaterbearCosmonaut
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka's always been a little possessive of Makoto, and over the years Makoto has learned all the subtle ways he can use that to his advantage.</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Written for the <a href="http://makoharuficfestival.tumblr.com/">MakoHaruFicFestival</a> on tumblr, from Prompt 26:</i><br/><i>haru goes through the mine phase at age 3 and doesn’t want to share makoto with anyone. it gets more obvious over the years and people wonder if makoto had a phase like that. little do they know, he learned how to hide it better than haru.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	All The Little Things

**[12 Years Ago]**

The sun was warm on Makoto’s flushed face as he and Haruka ran through the trees. Their mothers had taken them to their favorite park, the one with the large bird-shaped climbing frame that sunk into the sand. They ran over to the bench their mothers sat on, having just played a round of Cats that involved chasing every squirrel they could find. Their mothers handed them their milk boxes and Makoto practically drank his entire box in one sip. Chasing squirrels was hard work.

“Tachibana-san and I were thinking,” Haruka’s mother began, catching both boys’ attention. “that you two are finally big enough for The Bird.”

Haruka and Makoto’s eyes widened and they looked at each other before turning to look behind them. Their mothers had always told them they weren’t allowed on The Bird - it was too big and they could play on it when they were older. It seemed he and Haruka had finally achieved a coveted status.

Makoto laughed as he and his best friend sprinted over to The Bird and began their ascent. After a minute of climbing Makoto made the mistake of looking down. The sand was so far below him... Makoto stopped climbing, the laugh disappearing from his lips.

“Ha… Haru-chan!! It’s too high!!” Makoto gripped the bars and felt tears well up in his eyes. His best friend stopped and looked down at Makoto. Without a word, he climbed down a couple rungs and reached his hand out. Makoto blinked up at him, and with his eyes Haruka said, _it’s ok, I’ll help you._ Makoto nodded and took Haruka’s hand.

Haruka guided Makoto up to The Bird’s back. He climbed easily onto the sitting spot on the neck, straddling the large bird, and waited for Makoto to scoot in behind him. Still afraid he might fall, Makoto wrapped his arms around Haruka’s waist and pressed his cheek to his back.

“Where are we going, Haru-chan?” he asked. He thought maybe a toy store or amusement park would be viable options. But as always, Haruka had other ideas.

“Into the sky,” Haruka said and smiled as he leaned forward, pretending to urge the great bird skyward. Makoto leaned in to the turns with Haruka, letting Haruka guide them through the clouds. Haruka flew them so high the stars were canopied above them, and when he pointed them out Haruka urged the bird to swoop and careen between them. 

After what was surely hours, Haruka landed them safely and waited for Makoto to get his footing before beginning the climb back down to the sand. Just as they reached the bottom and were discussing their next game, a small girl with pigtails, one they saw frequently but never played with because Haruka deemed her “bossy”, raced up from behind them, grabbed Makoto’s hand, and started to pull him back up The Bird. 

“Fly with me next, Mako-chan!” she yelled, her face flushed.

Makoto hesitated. He turned and looked at his best friend, the person he had the most fun with, the person who flew them safely through the stars and made sure Makoto didn’t fall down to the earth. Makoto’s eyes widened and he silently asked Haruka to help him. He was afraid to tell her ‘no’, but Haruka wasn’t afraid of anything. Haruka’s expression darkened and his fists clenched and unclenched. 

“Ha- Haru-chan?” Makoto called to him as the girl pulled him up The Bird. Haruka didn’t move, just glared at the girl, and with a lump in his throat Makoto resigned himself to unsolicited play time. Makoto turned around and began to climb when he felt a hand grip his wrist.

“No. Mako-chan and I were playing,” Haruka said up at the girl and held Makoto firmly in place.

The girl looked down and pouted. “Haru-chan _always_ plays with Mako-chan! I get a turn!” she insisted and began tugging at Makoto’s other hand.

“NO.” Haruka climbed up a few rungs, pulled her hand off Makoto’s, and looked at his friend. Makoto felt a little confused and scared, and the lump in his throat seemed impossible to swallow, but he was grateful to Haruka for helping him. Makoto sniffled and smiled at Haruka before climbing back to the ground. The girl above him wailed.

“It was MY turn! _I_ want to play with Mako-chaaaaaan!!” She rubbed her eyes, but Haruka just glared at her.

“He’s mine. My friend. Play with someone else.” 

Haruka left the girl crying on the climbing frame as he hopped off and landed easily in the sand. Makoto’s mouth formed a small “oh” when Haruka took his hand in his own.

“Let’s play dolphins and whales,” Haruka suggested and pulled Makoto toward the swings before he could respond. Makoto instantly felt better.

*

**[Present]**

“It had to be Tokyo.”

Makoto had seen that look before. Haruka’s fists clenched and unclenched on his thighs as he lowered his eyes. Makoto passed the orange creme shake they were sharing back over to Haruka to give him something to do with his hands.

“In the end, I think it was the best decision,” Makoto responded with a sigh. They were sitting on the table top of a weathered picnic bench at a park they used to frequent when they were kids. It had been recently updated with new, modern playsets, but the large metal bird was still there, silently gliding across the ground. Haruka pulled the straw from his lips and wordlessly handed the cup back to Makoto. Haruka placed his hands behind him and leaned back, his neck arching as he looked up at the sky, and Makoto’s chest tightened. He was going to miss seeing Haruka everyday. Sure, he would miss his family and Rei and Nagisa, too, but when he thought about Haruka… it was enough to make him doubt his decision altogether. 

He averted his eyes and sipped their shake. He loved Haruka, was _in_ love with him. It was ironic, really. So much of their communication was unspoken, and yet Makoto had repeatedly failed at conveying something as simple and powerful as “I love you” to his best friend. He’d tried over the years, in his own way, either through a gaze that delved a little too deep or a touch that lingered a little too long, but it seemed Haruka was either oblivious to his advances… or chose to ignore them. Sure, Haruka was possessive of Makoto, almost jealous at times, but Haruka had always been that way, even as kids. It had been going on for so long that Makoto knew it couldn’t be indicative of any kind of romantic feelings. It was just the way Haruka _was_.

Makoto wasn’t completely sure when he first fell in love with Haruka, but he felt it may have been the day Haruka fell into the river when they were kids, the day Makoto was faced with the idea of _losing_ him for the first time in his short life. Makoto had never handled loss well, and the very idea of people moving out of his life filled him with anxiety. But the thought of losing Haruka awoke an entirely new kind of terror.

He supposed that day had left a scar on him, as every time he thought about reaching out for Haruka’s hand, or wrapping his arms around him, or leaning in for a kiss, or even confessing outright, that sense of paralyzing fear gripped him, overwhelmed him, stilled him, quieted him.

Makoto sipped their shake slowly, lost in thought, unaware that blue eyes were studying his face. Haruka suddenly sighed heavily next to him, as though resigning himself to his fate. “I guess it can’t be helped, then.”

Makoto lifted his face, his mind brought suddenly back to the present, and his upturned eyebrows came together. “What do you mean?”

Haruka took the shake. “I’ll accept the scouting offer I got from a university in Tokyo.” He punctuated his statement with a loud slurp.

Makoto’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. “Haru!! You were scouted from Tokyo!?” Haruka nodded and looked at Makoto. “When!?”

“The first scouting call I received.”

“Haru!” Makoto grinned and his chest swelled. Haruka’s eyes widened slightly at Makoto’s reaction, then a small smile broke across his lips. Makoto practically leapt across the table and engulfed Haruka in a tight hug. “I’m so happy!” he said into Haruka’s neck and the familiar smell of chlorine and soap wrapped around Makoto’s mind.

“Oi,” Haruka protested, but his voice was soft, and Makoto knew he was more embarrassed than annoyed by Makoto’s reaction. Makoto pulled away, his cheeks flushed, his hands gripping Haruka’s shoulders. 

Makoto’s smile faded a bit as he tried to gather his hazy jumble of thoughts. “It’s a good school though, right? Don’t - don’t make this decision just because it’s Tokyo.” _Don’t make the wrong decision because of me…_

Haruka gave Makoto a long, unreadable look before nodding. “It’s the best choice.”

Makoto sighed as the adrenaline in his veins began to wane. “Why didn’t you tell me about your decision sooner?” he asked, nudging Haruka with his shoulder.

“I just did.” Haruka replied simply and passed what was left of the shake back over.

Makoto gave him an exasperated smile. “I mean, when did you decide?”

“Just now.”

“HARU!! You can’t make that kind of decision so easily!” A look of horror crossed Makoto’s face.

Haruka stood, hopped off the bench, and stretched his arms over his head. “It’s easy,” he said coolly, then looked over his shoulder at Makoto. “Tokyo isn’t allowed to have you all for itself.”

Makoto quickly hid his blush behind their shake.

*

Makoto folded up a piece of paper and stuffed it in his back pocket before dashing excitedly up the steps to Haruka’s house. When he opened the door, the smell of well-seasoned mackerel filled his nose and he smiled as he kicked off his shoes and made his way to the kitchen.

Haruka stood at the grill and flipped two pieces of mackerel before moving over to the rice cooker and giving it a stir. He made a dissatisfied noise at the state of the rice and added a bit more _dashi_ before turning back to the fish. Makoto saw Haru’s eyes dart momentarily in Makoto’s direction before focusing back on his fish.

“The fish will be done before the rice,” Haruka said simply and Makoto leaned against the doorframe, arms crossing his torso.

“I didn’t tell you I was coming over,” he said softly, eyeing the dinner for two.

Haruka bent over and pulled broiled garlic asparagus out of the oven. “I always make extra,” he replied and turned off the burner.

Makoto smiled, knowing that wasn’t entirely accurate, and moved easily into the kitchen to grab dishware for two.

“My parents called,” Haruka began has he moved the grilled fish to the cutting board and began chopping. “They found me a place in Tokyo. My father’s coworker’s son is going to my University and needed a roommate, so they made an arrangement for me.”

Makoto’s hands momentarily paused mid-air as he reached for another bowl, and the paper stuffed in his back pocket suddenly felt like so much trash. Haruka didn’t look at Makoto as he spoke, instead focusing a little too hard on the food as he plated it.

“Are you… is that ok?” Makoto asked, knowing Haruka would hate the idea of having to live with a stranger... and _hating_ the idea of it himself.

“Unavoidable, I guess,” Haruka commented and brought their bowls to the table. “The apartment is a 10 minute walk to the university,” he continued and Makoto knew Haruka was trying to convince himself of the idea.

Makoto sat down across from Haruka, accepted his food, and picked up his chopsticks. Normally Makoto kept lively dinner conversation, but today, after hearing Haruka’s news, he was quiet, his early excitement drained as he lost himself in thought. 

“Hey, Makoto?” Haruka said after a long, silent moment and Makoto blinked, pulling himself out of his head and forcing a smile for Haruka’s sake.

“Sorry, Haru. I was just thinking… Well, to be honest, I thought we would find a place together,” Makoto forced another smile and Haruka frowned.

“I didn’t know my parents were making arrangements for me,” Haruka sighed and set down his chopsticks, disappointment written across his face.

“I guess there’s no getting out of it then,” Makoto replied and cocked his head to the side, studying every muscle twitch in Haruka’s face.

“It would be rude to reject the offer…” Haruka’s lip puckered into a small pout. Makoto knew that was Haruka’s tell for ‘I’m annoyed’, but he couldn't help but think of how cute he looked. He thought again of the paper in his back pocket, looked back at Haruka’s pouting lip, and got an idea.

“It’s really too bad,” He said, a little louder than he intended, and pulled the paper from his back pocket. He unfolded it on the table and revealed an advertisement for an apartment showing pictures and a schematic of the layout. “I found this place and called them. It has a kitchen, right next to the train station... And it’s between our schools, so we’d only have a 20 minute commute.” Makoto peeked at Haruka’s face and could see him scanning the advertisement intensely. “I actually put a deposit down on it and just got the call today that my deposit was secured. I wanted to surprise you, Haru.”

Haruka looked up from the paper and Makoto flashed him the sweetest, most innocent smile he could muster. 

“It comes with a deep bath, too,” Makoto sighed and picked up his chopsticks. “I guess I’ll have to put in an ad for a roommate.” Makoto delivered his finishing blow and Haruka’s fists started clenching and unclenching. _There it is,_ Makoto thought, hope filling his chest.

“It’s only one bedroom,” Haruka commented, his eyes sharp. Makoto shrugged his shoulders and sighed heavily.

“I knew that’d be enough for us… But I’ll have to find the perfect roommate, now.”

“Mm,” Haruka said in response and glared at the paper for the rest of dinner.

*

_Text From: Haru-chan_  
` Did u already put up an ad 4 a roommate?`

_Reply From: Makoto_  
` I was just about to`

` _Text From: Haru-chan_  
` Don’t. I’m moving in with u.` `

`*`

``

The morning air was crisp and moist and the sky was a hazy cerulean blue, the sun promising to peek over the horizon any minute. Makoto took another deep inhale of the Iwatobi air before slamming the trunk shut. That was it. They were ready to leave.

Makoto’s father had woken he and Haruka when it was still dark outside, and they set to work packing the car with their belongings. Makoto initially didn’t think they’d have enough stuff to make the move difficult, but once he realized their video game collection and Haruka’s swim gear took up two boxes alone he knew they would be in trouble.

Makoto heard the front passenger door shut, the sound muted by the blanket quiet of early-morning, as Haruka finished loading their suitcases. He watched Haruka dust off his hands and shove them deep into his pockets, his shoulders tense. _He’s nervous_. Haruka had never been good with goodbyes.

He smiled at Haruka and turned away when he heard his father’s voice.

“I think that does it! You boys ready?”

“I guess so,” Makoto said and looked over at his mother and siblings. They were both clinging to their mother’s leg. Ren’s eyes were filled with tears while Ran’s brow was furrowed with a look of betrayal. Makoto took another deep breath, crouched down, and opened up his arms. “One more hug before I go?” he asked and Ren immediately tore from his mother’s leg to run to his big brother, tears streaming down his face. Makoto wrapped his arm around him, and the shuddering in his shoulders from his sobs shattered Makoto’s heart.

“You, too, Ran?” he asked his little sister, who was still standing dejectedly by his mother. 

“You can’t leave.” She said, her voice quivering, but determined.

“Ran, I have to,” Makoto said gently. “Please… give me a hug before I go.”

“NO! You can’t leave without hugging me, so... so... I won’t hug you! Then you can’t say goodbye!” 

“Ran…” Makoto said softly, unsure what to say to her, how to console her, because he hated goodbyes as well.

“Ran,” Haruka said from directly behind Makoto. He hadn’t heard Haruka approach. “Do you remember what I told you last night?”

Ran looked down at the ground and tugged at her shirt. “That you’ll only be a phone call away. And that you’ll be back to visit in a few months.”

“So this isn’t goodbye,” Makoto looked up at Haruka and noted the tension in his jaw. “This is see you soon.”

At that, Ran’s tears began to fall and she sprinted to Makoto. Makoto scooped her up with his free arm and held his siblings close and tight, swallowing around the lump in his throat as the two clung to him and cried. He had known going to Tokyo would mean sacrificing watching these two grow up during the most exciting time of life, and it made his chest ache when he thought about how different they might look the next time he saw them. 

With one last squeeze and a kiss on his mother’s cheek, Makoto and Haruka squeezed into the backseat of the car, pressed hip to hip among the boxes and suitcases. The car started to pull away, and Makoto looked out the window at his mother and siblings waving him goodbye. The lump in his throat finally broke free, and he let the tears slip quietly down his cheeks. Without a word, Makoto felt a warm hand rest on top of his and squeeze. He gave a small nod of thanks to Haruka, keeping his face turned to the window as his childhood home disappeared around a corner.

*

14 hours later, Makoto slouched against the closed door of their new Tokyo apartment and nearly slid down to the floor in exhaustion. He had said his goodbyes to his father, who was sleeping in a nearby hotel before taking off early the next morning for the 9 hour drive back to Iwatobi. Makoto hoisted himself away from the door and wandered into the bedroom, ready to pull out a futon and sleep for the next five days. Boxes and small furniture were scattered haphazardly around the apartment, but he decided unpacking would have to wait until tomorrow. As he rounded into the bedroom, he saw Haruka had other ideas.

Haruka had already opened the box containing his jammers and was carefully folding them and placing them in a dresser drawer.

“Haruuuuu, that can wait until morning.” Makoto moaned as he unfolded the nearest futon.

“It can’t wait,” Haruka insisted and meticulously organized his swimwear. Makoto smiled and flopped onto the futon belly-first. His eyelids heavy, he felt himself start to doze to the sounds of Haruka moving about the space. After a while, though, it became quiet, and Makoto opened his eyes to find he was alone in the small room. Haruka had turned off the light, presumably to let Makoto sleep, but instead it heightened Makoto’s senses. He sat up and looked at all the new, angular shadows cast around the unfamiliar room. He became aware of the muffled sounds of the city outside his window, foreign creaks, strange thumps, everything that could possibly stand to remind him that he was no longer home.

“Haru…?” He called out, his voice a dull echo in the unpacked room. When he received no response he stood and walked out into the living room. _Empty_. He then looked over to the bathroom door. It was cracked open, the light on and a thin veil of steam leaking out. Makoto smiled. He knew what he was signing up for when he asked Haruka to be his roommate. 

He walked back into the bedroom, feeling tired but uneasy in the new space, and decided to lay Haruka’s futon out for him, a half meter away from his own. He dug out blankets and pillows and tried his hardest to distract himself from jumping at every sound.

Makoto was sitting in his futon in the semi-dark, knees bent up under his chin when Haruka finally walked back into the room, towel on his head, pajama pants sitting low across his hips.

“Makoto?” He asked, concern on his face as the towel dropped to his shoulders.

Makoto stretched his legs out and shrugged, feeling silly having been caught looking like a scared toddler. “Just… a little homesick I guess.” He responded with a sad smile.

Haruka pulled a sleep shirt over his head and grabbed the futon Makoto had laid out for him. He watched Haruka push the futon up against his before climbing in under the covers. Makoto felt instantly better having Haruka back in the room. The strange, angular shadows disappeared into the background as Makoto laid back down and pulled the blankets over his body. 

His eye lids felt heavy again and he had slipped into twilight sleep when he became aware of shifting sheets next to him. He looked over at Haruka’s back and noticed it was much closer to him, almost laying on his own futon. Makoto’s heart pounded in his chest. He reached out slowly and gathered a small fold of Haruka’s shirt between his fingers, like he used to when they were kids.

“Goodnight, Makoto,” he heard Haruka say softly.

Within minutes Makoto was sound asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far... THANK YOU FOR READING!!!
> 
> I'm not sure what else to say about this chapter aside from... Makoto and Haruka are hopelessly oblivious BAKAS. But I LOVE them. <3<3
> 
> Feel free to hit me up on twitter @WaterbearCosmo. I LIKE FRIENDS. _HEAVY BREATHING_.


End file.
